Site name Charlton Park Academy
Charlton Park Road, Charlton Heritage Statement
Royal Borough of Greenwich January 2019
Built Heritage
Consultancy
Charlton Park Academy Charlton Park Road, Charlton
Heritage Statement
Royal Borough of Greenwich January 2019
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Identification of Heritage Assets to Assess 2 3.0 History of Locality: Charlton 4 4.0 Site Map Regression 10 5.0 Assessment of Significance 12 6.0 Scheme Overview and Assessment of Heritage Impacts 24 7.0 Policy Assessment and Conclusions 29 Appendices: Appendix 1: Bibliography 31 Appendices: Appendix 2: Historic England List Entries 32 Appendices: Appendix 3: Legislation, Policy and Guidance 33
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1.0 Introduction 1.1 Instruction
This Heritage Statement has been produced by Built Heritage Consultancy to accompany a planning application for Charlton Park Academy, Charlton Park Road, Charlton London SE7 (the ‘Site’), for demolition of some modern school buildings to enable the development of a new school building and a garden. This Heritage Statement will assess the significance of any on-site heritage assets and any in the surrounding area that might potentially be affected by the demolition and new building proposals. 1.2. Background
The replacement of the present buildings on the west side of the site has been developed with the client Charlton Park Academy together with the Educational and Skills Funding Agency of DfE, and the project team including AECOM, McIlwaine, Farrans, and WGI Architects and Maddox Planning Consultants. There have been some pre-application discussions with the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The site is within the Charlton Village Conservation Area and the north boundary wall onto Charlton Park Road is the east end of the Grade II listed wall of Charlton Park, dating from the 17th century and remarked on as ‘much the greater part is C17 wall. Charlton House is a Grade I listed mansion built in 1620 which is sited 500m to the west-south-west but its park is not designated as an historic park. 1.3. Application Proposals
The proposals are for the demolition of the existing single storey classrooms and temporary school buildings on the west side of the site and the erection of a new two storey school building of a smaller footprint on the north half, with a garden on the south half. 1.4. Structure of Report
Section 2 sets out the identified heritage assets to assess as part of this Heritage Statement.
Section 3 sets out the history of the locality.
Section 4 sets out a map regression of the Site.
Section 5 sets out the assessment of significance of the identified heritage assets.
Section 6 provides an overview of the scheme proposals and an assessment of the potential heritage impacts.
Section 7 sets out the summary and conclusions of this Heritage Statement.
The Appendices include any relevant Historic England list entries, a summary of any relevant legislation, policy and guidance relevant to the historic environment and a Bibliography for this Heritage Statement.
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2.0 Identification of Heritage Assets to Assess 2.1 Paragraph 189 of NPPF
Paragraph 189 of the NPPF states: “In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance….” 2.2 Identified Heritage Assets
The heritage assets that could potentially be affected by the subject proposals are outlined below. The numbering used below correlates with the Heritage Plot Plan shown at Figure 2.1 below to aid the reader to locate the heritage assets: 2.2.1 Designated Heritage Assets
Listed Buildings
The Site lies in the setting of the following listed buildings (marked on the map below):
1. Wall of Charlton Park, Charlton Park Road (Grade II listed);
2. Charlton House (Grade I listed);
The relevant Historic England list entries are attached at Appendix 2.
Conservation Area(s)
The Site lies within the Charlton Village Conservation Area. 2.2.2 Non-Designated Heritage Assets
There are no non-designated heritage assets on site, nor would the scheme affect the setting of any non-designated heritage assets. The scheme’s impact on the existing 1967 school, and Charlton Park, is evaluated under the assessment of the conservation area within which they are located. 2.3 Scoped Out Heritage Assets
Outside the Site’s boundary and within the identified surrounding area of the Site, are numerous heritage assets of varying significance and designations. Having borne in mind Historic England’s Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3—The Setting of Heritage Assets (2017), the heritage asset listed below is considered sufficiently well concealed from potential visual, traffic, emissions and noise impacts by existing topography, street pattern, built form and or dense foliage that it is unlikely to experience any effects to its heritage significance (whether visual, experiential or other) as a result of the proposed scheme. The following heritage asset has therefore been scoped out from our Heritage Statement:
• The Assembly Rooms, Charlton (Grade II listed)
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4 2
1
3 5
Figure 2.1: Site location map showing heritage assets and other features near the Site, with the approximate Site boundary marked in blue, and conservation area boundary in red. © Crown Copyright. Ordnance Survey 100024900
The school site is marked as 1 with a blue boundary. The park boundary wall (Grade II), in green and marked 2, forms the site’s north boundary was well as running west to the corner of the park. Charlton House (Grade I) is marked 3. The Assembly Rooms (Grade II) are marked 4, and the non-designated Charlton House Gardens and Charlton Park are marked 5, with the north-south path running between them and the ha-ha parallel and to the west marking the east extent of the formal gardens near the house. The red boundary is the Charlton Village Conservation Area which is all the map area to the south of it.
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3.0 History of Locality: Charlton 3.1 Introduction
Charlton Village is situated mid-way between Greenwich and Woolwich and, until the 19th century, was part of rural Kent. The old village stood on top of the Thames escarpment, where the high ground of the Blackheath plateau dropped away towards the riverside in a series of narrow wooded combes. The high street (known as The Village) and Charlton Park Road follow the line of the escarpment, with large areas of green space (Charlton Park, Hornfair Park, Charlton Cemetery) remaining on the plateau to the south and east, while the streets to the north (Charlton Lane, Fairfield Grove, Charlton Church Lane) descend steeply towards the Thames-side industrial riverside known as New Charlton, and in more recently as Charlton Riverside. 3.2 History
The area has been settled at least since the early Roman period. The name Charlton is of Saxon origin, compounded of ceorl (=churl), referring to a small peasant farmer, and tūn, a settlement or farmstead. After 1066 the manor of Charlton was granted by William I to his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, passing into the ownership of Bermondsey Abbey in 1093. The first record of a church at Charlton comes in 1077, while the Domesday survey of 1086 records a medium-sized village. The medieval parish of Charlton, part of the ancient hundred of Blackheath in the county of Kent, stretched all the way from Woolwich Common in the east to what is now Blackheath Village in the west. Market rights were granted by Henry III in 1268, as well as an annual fair. 3.3 16th to 18th Centuries
The manor, having reverted to the Crown at the Reformation, was acquired in 1606 by Sir Adam Newton, tutor and secretary to the Prince of Wales. Newton was responsible for building the present Charlton House – the finest Jacobean mansion now surviving in London – between 1607 and 1612. The provisions of Newton’s will also allowed for the rebuilding of St Luke’s Church in 1630-40. Other buildings remaining from this period include the stables, park wall and garden house. The latter is a very early example of English Palladianism, without written evidence attributed to Inigo Jones.
After Newton's death in 1630 the estate passed to his son and later owners included John Jones; Sir William Ducie who repaired the house in 1659; Sir William Langthorne, an East India merchant, lived there from 1680. A map of 1746 shows the property's landscape with three avenues laid out from west to east in the park and a sequence of parterres by the house with the north edge of the estate was bounded by the road south of Hanging Wood that then ran around the east end of the park. The Reynolds Plan of 1784 (see page 14) shows the formally laid out gardens removed exception for the walled gardens close to the house and the one area with the Mulberry trees to the north of the house.
In 1758 the Charlton estate passed to the Maryon Wilson family who remain lords of the manor until 1925. The 18th and the early 19th centuries witnessed comparatively little change in the area. John Rocque’s map of 1741-6 shows the village north of Charlton House (called ‘Charlton Place’) and its park to the south and east , a scattering of houses further west along Charlton Road, and Hanging Wood, still at its full 150-acre extent, to the north-east. Though the park had been re-landscaped by 1780 external boundaries were unchanged and the earliest seen 19th century map shows only houses north of the Village on Fairfield and west on Charlton Road, with some of Hanging Wood still there and a mature wooded landscape in the park, see Section 4 Site Map Regression.
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Figure 3.1: John Rocque’s Exact Survey of 1741-6
In 1925 the estate was sold to Greenwich Borough Council and the London County Council. Charlton house has been used as a library and a community centre, and the stables as an area housing office. To the rear of the house is a paved courtyard with 2 brick archways, and other remnants of the former gardens are found to the south-east of the house, two walled gardens and a flower garden along a formal vista. The gateway of 1612, restored in the C19th, is on the original boundary of the grounds before the enclosure of the village green. A series of drawings dating from the 1820s show Charlton still in its post-medieval aspect, with timber-framed buildings clustered along the muddy village street against a background of fields and woods. The village green is shown in them before enclosure in 1829.
Figure 3.2: The east front of Charlton House facing the park
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3.4 19th & 20th Centuries
The first phase of ‘suburban’ development came with several large detached villas built for members of the ‘carriage classes’, for whom Charlton, with its fresh air, panoramic views and good road connections, made a pleasant commuting base or weekend retreat. The major impetus for suburbanisation came in 1849, however, when the South-Eastern Railway extended its North Kent Line from Greenwich through to Gravesend, with a station at the bottom of Charlton Church Lane. This had the double effect of stimulating rapid industrial growth in the riverside area (known as New Charlton) and encouraging suburban development around the old village. Residential growth was slow at first: groups of large villas were built in Charlton Church Lane and Victoria Way, with smaller cottages in Charlton Lane, Lansdowne Lane and Fairfield Grove.
The increase in population prompted the laying-out of Charlton Cemetery in 1855, east of the park and the building of two new parish churches: St Thomas, Maryon Road (1849-50) and St Paul, Fairfield Grove (1867, now demolished). The Metropolitan Board of Works, whose authority stretched as far out as Crossness beyond Woolwich, built imposing new offices and workshops (now demolished) on the south side of the Village. Nevertheless, as late as 1878 Edward Walford’s Old and New London could describe Charlton as ‘a pretty little village…still green and pleasant’ despite ‘the gradual extension of buildings’.
Large-scale expansion, joining Charlton up with Woolwich in the north east and Blackheath in the west, came around 1900, when houses were laid out in the combes and sand-pits to the west. The core of the medieval village was largely rebuilt after 1900, with the old timber-framed houses (of which the Bugle Horn Inn is now the only survivor) giving way to brick-built Victorian commercial premises, comprising more than 20 shops according to the 1881 census.
This new-found urbanity was reflected in the building of the Assembly Rooms (under Maryon Wilson patronage) in 1881, and in the growth of Charlton Athletic Football Club, which moved to its present ground, in a former sand-pit known as the Valley, in 1919. Charlton’s transformation from village to suburb was confirmed by its inclusion in Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich within the London County Council (LCC) area in 1890. A public park (the core of what is now Maryon Park) was laid out by the LCC in 1891, and from 1920 Greenwich built council housing on the old Fair Field on the north side of Charlton Park Road.
During World War I, Charlton House and its grounds had been used as a Red Cross hospital and army camp. In 1925 the Maryon Wilsons finally decided to sell the estate, including Charlton House with its gardens and park, to the Borough Council. In June 1925, the Greenwich Borough Council purchased Charlton House, Park and Estate, comprising 108 acres for £60,000. About 43 acres were transferred to the LCC in 1926 for £22,250.
Contrary to expectations, when turning the park into sports-fields the soil was found to be light and flinty, and thousands of tons of filling material and top soil had to be put down to provide good drainage. Over £15,000 was finally spent in laying out the park, levelling and finally seeding the grass, erecting dressing rooms and conveniences. The park, with grass tennis courts, putting green, an athletic area with cinder running track and space for many football and cricket pitches was officially opened on July 13 1929. The following year, modern baths and shower units for both sexes were installed in the pavilion/dressing rooms, and by February 1931, a refreshment hut was erected at a cost of £240.
An LCC-run open-air school (first established in 1908 at Shooter’s Hill to cater for children whose poor health prevented them from attending mainstream schools) occupied the north-east corner; this is now the site of the Charlton Park Academy.
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Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, trenches were hastily dug in the park as a deterrent to parachutes or landing aircraft. Large areas were also set aside for growing food, and some four acres were set aside for temporary buildings to be erected to house bombed out families. In the spring of 1942, the Greenwich Borough Council introduced a “Holidays at Home” scheme and camping was allowed in the grounds. Several tons of iron railings were removed from the perimeter for the national war effort but were replaced in 1955.
Although it suffered less than the riverside, Charlton saw sporadic bomb damage during the London Blitz. St Paul’s Church was destroyed by a bomb in September 1940 and Charlton House narrowly escaped destruction by a V-2 rocket in January 1945 which fell between the house and pavilion: the north wing and garden house were afterwards carefully rebuilt. The post-war period in Charlton saw redevelopment focused on the Charlton Road to the west, the Fairlawn/Cherry Gardens estate to the south built by the Borough and the LCC’s Thornhill/Springfield Grove estate on the slopes to the north.
The running track cost around £2,000 to construct in 1929, and in 1969, it underwent conversion to conform to metric and international standards, and to improve the bends. The same year, a single storey building containing changing rooms and shower baths was built to the east of the running track for the convenience of players using the cricket and football pitches. An adventure playground and accommodation for the One O’ Clock Club (for young children) was sited next to this building. In 2000 the track was removed and a floodlit rugby practice ground created. 3.5 Site History – Charlton Park School
In 1904 the London County Council (LCC) took over responsibility for the provision of education from the School Board for London (SLB) and the Technical Education Board (TEB) under the Education (London) Act 1903. The LCC brought all the elementary schools they were responsible for under one administrative structure and carried out a large renovation and building programme to improve the educational and social conditions of the schools. The LCC also introduced welfare reforms to improve the health of their pupils, including medical treatment centres, free school meals and open air schools.
After visiting the pioneer 'forest school' in Charlottenburg, Berlin, officials of the (LCC) were keen to see if the same ‘open air regime’ could be applied to ailing tuberculous and otherwise delicate children of the capital. However, the LCC did not have the authority to establish such schools, so had to rely initially on private offers for a site and funding. In May 1907 the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) offered the use of its recreational land in Bostall Wood - the 'Co-operative Woods'.
Little building work was needed, as although on a damp and cluttered site, there existed in the woods two large sheds and benches. A major disadvantage was the quarter-mile (400 metres) distance from the kitchen to the school area so open air meals were warm rather than hot. From 22nd July until October 1907, some 108 pupils were accommodated, with five teaching staff and domestic support. School hours were 9am-6 p.m., 5½ days a week, with three substantial meals and a long mid-day rest.
The pupils, selected by their headmasters and vetted by medical examinations, suffered from anaemia, heart problems, lung conditions, pre-tuberculous symptoms or nervous disorders. Many pupils were undernourished, and on average they gained nearly a stone (3 kg) each over the summer.
When the experimental school closed at the end of October, it was deemed a resounding success, and plans were made to find sites for permanent schools. These duly opened the following year at Shooters Hill, Forest Hill and Kentish Town. The school on Shooters Hill opened in a clearing in the woods. There were 100 children on roll with a Headteacher, four teaching assistants, a nurse, an attendant and a caretaker. Whilst other schools had 60 pupils to a class this school had 30. The school day was 9am to 6pm (1pm on a Saturday). There was an emphasis on learning from nature and pavilions were only used in extreme weather conditions.
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Figure 3.3 An open air class at Charlton Park with the 1929 pavilion strustures behind
Figure 3.3 An exercise class at Charlton Park with the 1929 manager’s house and pavilion structures behind
The school moved to Charlton Park in 1929, after the Council assumed ownership of Charlton House and its park, to “a building of comparative luxury” built by the Council and the LCC. By 1932 it cost £32 to keep a child in the Charlton school, double the cost of an elementary school. This was mainly due to the substantial 3 meals per day given to the under-nourished children.
In 1939, the school was evacuated to Kent but re-opened in Charlton Park with 19 children in 1942, rising to 80 the following year. By 1937 there were 96 open air day schools in operation throughout Britain, and 53 that were also residential in England. After the war ‘ope air schools’ fell from favour, although some kept going into the 1970s.
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The initial brief for a new Charlton Park school, a 120-place school for physically handicapped children aged between 5 and 16, was issued by the London County Council's Education Department in 1964. The Charlton Park School for Physically Handicapped Children was designed by Laurie Pestell of the GLC schools division for ILEA and local government reforms of 1965 meant that the school was built in 1966-7 by the Inner London Education Authority of the newly-formed Greater London Council and the new school opened in September 1967. It involved the demolition of the 1929 buildings. While the elevations are unexceptional, the ‘hen and chicks’ plan has some limited interest in the way it perpetuates the dispersed layout of the 1929 open air school. The school consists of a central block of several connecting buildings of 2 storeys with flat roofs, constructed of red brick with vertical window strips of white painted timber, and the main hall had an interesting folded plate roof. To its east and west were single storey wings of the same materials, hence the ‘hen & chicks’.
Figure 3.3: Laurie Pestell’s design for the Charlton Park School for Physically Handicapped Children 1967 based on the layout of the 1929 open-air school it replaced. London Metropolitan Archives LMA:ILEA/DBPS/AR/01/153.
With the abolition of ILEA in 1990, the London Borough of Greenwich set up its own education authority. In September 2001 Charlton Park School became Charlton School for students (aged 11-19) with low incidence special educational needs. This was part of a borough-wide re-organisation of special school provision. The school was set over 2 sites, the main on still in Charlton Park with an annex on Royal Hill in Greenwich. Planning permission was granted on 17 May 2005 (Ref: 04/2882) for the erection of a part single, part two storey extension to the school including infill of existing courtyard, which required the demolition of the two single storey wings at the east end of the site. In 2006 building works started at the Charlton Park site and a new east building was constructed and in July 2008 the Royal Hill site closed and all staff and students moved over to the new building at Charlton. In the last 10 years the site has been added to, mostly with temporary buildings.
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4.0 Site Map Regression
Figure 4.1: Extract from John Rocque’s Exact Survey of 1746 (Greenwich History Centre) with the approximate Site location marked in red.
Figure 4.2: OS 25” to 1 Mile 1869 surveyed 1863-7 with the approximate Site location marked in red.
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Figure 4.3: 1896-97 OS 1:1,250 map with the approximate Site location marked in red.
Figure 4.4: 1938 OS 1: 10,560 map, with the approximate Site location marked in red: this map surveyed in 1938 and issued in 1946 shows some buildings, whereas the 1938 OS 1: 2,500 does not.
Figure 4.7: Present-day map; approximate Site boundary marked in red, with pavilion and horse manege to west)
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5.0 Assessment of Significance 5.1 Designated Heritage Assets 5.1.1 Charlton House (Grade I listed) Architectural Description
Figure 5.1: Charlton House from the west with the gateway in the foreground
Charlton House is the most important Jacobean house in London following the serious loss of Holland House in World War II. Beside it is the important garden pavilion of c. 1630 in the manner of, but probably not by, Inigo Jones. Though its west front with the relationship to the gateway and pavilion is the more important aspect, the garden front and view east over the park is underrated.
The plan is E-shaped with four symmetrical bay windows at the ends of the four wings and two towers in the centres of the two wings, framing the building when seen from the east and west. The building is of three storeys on cellars, built of red brick and stone dressings. The stone is used for the central porch on the west front, the bay windows and an ornamental balustrade with pierced tracery at the top of the walls. The towers have ogee roofs of slate and lead. The west porch is the frontispiece with the door surround and windows on two floors above exuberantly decorated. Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner point to Wendel Dietterlin’s Architectura of 1593 as the inspiration. The interior is also remarkable as the hall is positions in the centre running west to east. There have been various theories about the architect, and John Thorpe, builder of Holland House is a favourite.
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The east, garden elevation has a simpler central frontispiece with less stone decoration, and the wings at either end with canted bays on their front, and a solid brick parapet. The moulded brick chimneys and end towers are much more visible on this elevation.
Figure 5.2: East elevation viewed from the ha-ha with the link range to the stables at the south end
Assessment of Significance
The significance of this very important Grade I listed house Jacobean House is hardly covered by the listing description:
Large Jacobean mansion, built 1612 for Sir Adam Newton. Additions 1659 for Sir William Ducie. The mansion - 3 storeys with H-shaped plan. Red brick with stone dressings and stone bands at floor levels and mullion windows. West front has pierced stone parapet. In the centre is a brick and stone projection containing richly ornamented porch and 2 bay windows above with 2-window links to projecting wings of 3 storey bays. East front similar in outline to West and less ornamental in character. North and South elevations 3 storeys 7 windows with square central towers of 5 storeys surmounted by stone corbelled cornice and ogee slated roof, South tower with clock. Pierced stone terrace wall to west front and returns. Octagonal brick chimney stacks in groups of 3 and 5 with moulded caps and bases. Internally, the mansion has contemporary staircases, panelled rooms, ornamental ceilings, chimney pieces etc.
The building has high significance in terms of surviving major early 17th century houses, as recognised in Sir John Summerson’s Architecture in Britain 1530-1830. It also remains situated amongst the vestiges of its estate, due to ownership of the Maryon Wilson family until 1925, and the house and grounds being then taken over by the local authority for public use.
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Contribution Made by Setting to Significance
When built the house was set in formal knot gardens with its park to the east, south and south-west. By the mid 18th century this landscape had been updated to that of the English Landscape Movement, as shown on the Reynolds Plan of 1784. At that time emphasis was on the long double avenue whose axis was centred on the house, stretching east across the park to a viewing point south of the rounded north-east corner of the park – the present application site where a pond and some outbuildings are shown. The wall on the north side of the park is shown running as far as the outbuildings.
Figure 5.3 The Reynolds Plan of 1784 (turned to present north at the top), showing the Site at top left. Greenwich Heritage Centre.
Now the outlook from the house eastwards is through the railings in front of the ha-ha and over the skateboard park and other added facilities towards the remnants of the avenue – only the south side of the original avenue appears to remain. Meanwhile two successive tree-lined boundaries run north- south between the inner garden and the eastern part of the park.
The result of the more recent changes is that the specific layout of the eastern parkland is not in itself of great design value as part of the house’s setting, save for the remaining trees on the axis of the grand avenue. The line of these trees runs into the south west corner of the school site, where they are interrupted by the boundary wall.
Notwithstanding this, the visibility of the park from the house, and vice versa, makes a strong contribution to Charlton House’s significance through demonstrating the historical relationship between the two.
The listed boundary wall is the historic edge of the park and makes a strong contribution to Charlton House’s setting, through defining the original extent of the house’s designed landscape.
The school itself plays a minimal visual role within this setting due to the screening effect of intervening trees.
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Figure 5.4: View from the ha-ha railings eastwards towards the avenue and the Site
Figure 5.5: Modern aerial photo showing the remnant of the main avenue terminating at the school site – compare with the historic map on the preceding page. Google maps.
5.1.2 Wall to Charlton Park (Grade II listed) Architectural Description
The wall to Charlton Park is shown on the Reynolds map. The listing description for the wall is somewhat vague in terms of defining its extent.
CHARLTON PARK ROAD SE7, Walls of Charlton Park
C17 red brick walls, once surrounding the lands of Charlton House. Some parts retain original sloped coping. Additional wall has been added in places to heighten; other parts have been lowered and coping rebuilt. In some places the wall has been repaired or completely rebuilt; but much the greater part is original C17 wall.
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Looking at the wall along Charlton Park Road, there is an obvious starting point at the gate giving access to the park opposite Charlton Lane, and the wall is continuous until the entrance to the sports pavilions and horse manège just west of the site, continuing after this gap as the boundary of an electricity sub- station compound and the site as far as just east of the entrances to Charlton Park Academy. The wall is 3m (10ft) of plum and red bricks with a tall sloping coping.
Figure 5.5 Start of the listed wall on Charlton Park Road opposite Charlton Lane, east of this point the wall continues in part as the boundary to Mulberry Close the 1960s flats seen on the right.
The wall is of medium to high significance, and where it runs along the park boundary, this significance is high, especially for the long length of wall that is original 17th century wall not rebuilt. At either end there has been substantial rebuilding.
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Figure 5.3: Wall at entrance to sports pavilion and horse manège, with the electricity sub-station and then site behind it on the left. The raised section of wall demarcates the sub-station enclosure.
Figure 5.4: Wall at the Site (only partially visible).
Assessment of Significance The wall is likely date to the early 17th century and is built mostly in Flemish Bond. Its significance is greatly enhanced by it remaining as the boundary wall of a historic park which retains its principal house. The east end of the wall forming the boundary of the school shows the extent of the park took
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 17 in the school site. The 18th century map and later maps show that this north east corner of the site contained some outbuildings to the part and then from 1929 the Open Air School.
East of the north entrance to the park the wall around the school has been rebuilt in several phases, the most recent after a car ran in to the western gatepiers to the school entrance. East of this main entrance of a main gate and side gate, the wall rises up for a section, and then continues as a low wall mostly in modern brick surmounted by a modern coping topped by broken glass set in cement. The significance of the wall around the school site is therefore very limited compared to the much more extensive original sections further west.
Contribution Made by Setting to Significance
The wall is the boundary of not only Charlton Park, but also part of the Charlton Village Conservation Area. Charlton Park Road is outside the conservation area, which only extends north of the park around the village itself.
The wall has a uniform setting along Charlton Park Road of a wide footway of concrete slabs. 50m west of the entrance to the park and to the east of the school entrance there are steel bollards on the footway edge to prevent kerb parking. These modern elements do not contribute to its setting.
From within the park, where the wall is bounded by green spaces and trees these contribute to its overall significance.
Within the school site the setting of the wall is poor, made up of modern development and hardstanding, which detracts from its overall significance, both through its unsympathetic appearance and through making the wall’s original role as a park boundary difficult to discern. West of the school site, the car parking area, buildings and playground also detract, although the wall’s original purpose is more intelligible and thus the present harm to significance here is less.
Figure 5.7 The listed wall within the school showing its setting. The van is where the new building will be
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5.1.3 Charlton Village Conservation Area
Identification of Part of Conservation Area Potentially Affected
The Site lies close to the northern boundary of the conservation area.
Figure 5.8: Conservation area boundary map from the LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal. The Site is approximately marked by the red arrow.
Historic Development
The Conservation Area was designated in 1968. The LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal sets out a detailed analysis of the historical development of the conservation area. The relevant sections on the development of the settlement have been used in Section 3 to provide the information on the history of the settlement of Charlton, and are therefore not repeated here.
One of the important characteristics of the conservation area identified is:
The majority of the Conservation Area consists of green space, and there are further large tracts of open land just beyond its boundaries. This established sense of ‘rus in urbe’ (‘countryside within the town’) is one of the area’s most significant and defining characteristics.
This is clearly illustrated on both maps of the conservation area. The Site is in one corner of the largest open spaces, Charlton Park, which is identified as an open space and not a heritage asset.
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Figure 5.9: LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal, historical development map. The Site is approximately by a red arrow
Character and Appearance
The Conservation Area falls into three discernible character areas (see Figure 5.9): Charlton Park; The Village; Northern Streets. The Site lies within the Parks character area.
Zone 1, comprising Charlton Park, Charlton Cemetery, Hornfair Park and the Meridian Sports and Social Club, accounts for the great majority of the Conservation Area. It is dominated by Charlton Park, with the house, its outbuildings and formal gardens at the western end and a large expanse of grass to the east. The highly decorated west façade of the house dominates the long view down Charlton Road, while its quieter east façade terminates the park’s central axis. Both Charlton Park and Hornfair Park give good views south-eastward towards the high ground of Shooters Hill.
Key Views
The LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal provides an analysis of the key views within, into or out of the conservation area. We have undertaken an outline assessment of the key views LPA are likely to consider to contribute towards the character and appearance of the conservation area. These are as follows:
• Views across the conservation area towards Charlton House from the ha-ha;
• Views out from Charlton Park in south-east direction;
• Views into conservation area from the west;
• Views out of conservation area in a north-west direction;
None of these key views includes views from the house towards the avenue and the site. The nearest relevant view is along the path in the avenue west of the site looking west towards the house.
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Green Spaces and Trees
The appraisal has a long section on green spaces, given their importance. The section on Charlton Park includes the following:
Charlton Park is by far the largest of these. Its origins go back at least to the building of the present Charlton House in the early 1600s, and possibly further. Over 50 acres in extent, it comprises an area of semi-formal gardens surrounding the house and a much larger area of open land to the east. John Rocque’s plan of 1746 shows a typical late-17th century layout, with tight geometrical planting in enclosed squares around the house, and radial avenues forming vistas across the park.
This arrangement was altered later in the century, with most of the formal gardens removed, and with a serpentine walk (a fashionable feature in later 18th century gardens) running along the northern boundary of the park. In 1829 the old village green was enclosed into the west lawn of the house, leaving the entrance archway in its present isolated position. Further changes came in from the 1840s, with a new h-aha creating a firm separation between the pleasure grounds surrounding the house – which now included a densely-planted ‘wilderness’ area – and the open parkland to the east, where informal clumps of trees now took the place of the old radial avenues.
During and after the Great War the park was used as an army camp and training ground. Part of the park was built over, and the remainder laid out as public sports grounds including tennis courts, a running track, a putting green and several football and cricket pitches.
The north-eastern area comprises a small arboretum, with formal walks lined with limes and evergreen oaks. The former deer park to the east is now mostly playing fields, with lines of trees marking the paths and perimeter. The southern half of the 1847 ha-ha has been backfilled, but the northern stretch remains.
The appraisal does not put any emphasis on the importance of the eastern part of the park in terms of the conservation area.
Summary – Key Characteristics
The LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal sets out a summary of the key characteristics of the Parks sub area of the conservation area as follows:
• Charlton House • The gardens around the house • The extent of the park • The mature trees in the park
Contribution of Site to Significance
The historic map regressions show the Site remain undeveloped on the 1916 OS map, but the open air school building is shown in the 1938 OS map. The new ILEA School was built in 1966-7. Though the open air school is referred to in the historical section of the Appraisal, the 1967 school does not feature as a building that contributes towards the conservation area’s character or appearance.
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Figure 5.10: Photograph from the north-south path towards the Site (in the red oblong) showing skateboard park and other facilities like the pavilion and horse manège in front of the Site, the new building would be on the left.
The north field of the park is now essentially a kick-about area, skateboard park, two play areas and finally the sports pavilion and the horse manège. The whole width of the school site is screened by these structures. The line of trees, poplar and other deciduous trees marks the boundary.
Figure 5.11: View of the west of the Site from the park showing the fencing with beech hedge that enclose it
The current on-site buildings comprise most of the 1967 school designed by Laurie Pestell on the ‘hen and chicks’ plan. The layout of the school with the two storey central part and lower wings spreading out has been much changed by the addition of many infill buildings and temporary additions and by the loss of the two east single storey ranges when the 2006-8 new buildings were erected.
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The screening of the school from the park on its south and west boundaries by the fence and beech hedge and on the west boundary by the taller trees means that the school within does not make much impact on the appearance of the conservation area. Similarly the north boundary formed partly by the listed wall is sufficiently tall to mean that though the two storey central part of the school is visible in views into the conservation area, only the roofs of the portacabin are visible from the road.
Nonetheless the presence of the developed school site within the boundary of the historic park may be regarded as a detrimental aspect of the conservation area insofar as it detracts from an appreciation of the former parkland character of the area within the boundary wall. When viewed from Charlton Park Road / Cemetery Lane the much-altered character of the boundary wall, and the presence of the school buildings and hardstanding behind it rather than parkland, is also detrimental in this sense. Summary of Significance
The LPA’s Conservation Area Appraisal sets out the special interest of the conservation area as follows:
• The special characteristics of the old village and the surrounding green land.
• The survival of the old church and the great house with its associated park.
• The preservation of The Village as an active commercial centre.
• The views south-eastward towards the high ground of Shooters Hill and looking west to the Thames and east London.
• Traditional treatment of buildings when renovated and traditional shopfronts.
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6.0 Scheme Overview and Assessment of Heritage Impacts 6.1 Scheme Overview
This Heritage Statement covers the planning application for demolition and construction of a smaller footprint two storey new building:
• Demolition of single-storey outlying blocks in western part of the site;
• Removal of all on-site portacabins containers and temporary structures;
• Construction of a new two storey school building on part of the cleared area;
• Re-landscaping to south west corner of Site;
• Repairs to the listed wall where it forms the northern boundary of the site; and
• Retention of the vast majority of the existing trees around the Site boundaries. 6.2 Assessment of Potential Heritage Impacts 6.2.1 Loss of Existing Buildings
The existing buildings were originally parts of the 1967 school that have since been encased in later temporary structures. The original wings are no longer visible except on the south elevation where the brick walls can be seen.
Figure 6.1: The portacabin building sited and the north end of the west ranges of the school
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Figure 6.2: The temporary building added to the west end of the school
Figure 6.3: View from the south west corner of the site of the orginal 1967 single storey wing and the additions
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6.2.2 New Building and garden on the site
The proposals are that over a period of two years the existing buildings will be demolished and a new building of two storeys erected on the north half of the present buildings’ footprint with a landscaped garden on the south half. The two principal elevations are shown below.
Fig. 6.4 Proposed East Elevation of the new block showing the North Elevation relating to the listed wall, as illustrated in November 2018 proposals
Fig. 6.5 All four Elevations of the proposed new block, as illustrated in November 2018 proposals
The new building will be seen from public views outside the conservation area looking southwards into it from Charlton Park Road, as shown on the front cover of this report, and from in the conservation area in Charlton Park on the access road to the sports pavilion and horse manège car park as shown in the image at the bottom of page 22. In the case of the view from the north the listed boundary wall will hide the ground floor and over it the sage green render of the first floor will be seen. The new building will appear higher than the existing portacabin building but lower than the two storey main school building. Tonally, the sage green render should appear muted behind the London stock brick listed wall. In the conservation area to the west of the proposed building looking east towards it, the upper storey sage green render would be tonally similar to the leaves and branches of the trees and beech hedging along the west boundary of the site, and from late spring to late autumn the leaves of
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 26 the trees and hedging would mostly screen the new building. From further west in Charlton Park the new building would be obscured by the sports centre and horse manège.
Fig. 6.6 Indicative rendering from the north east on Charlton Park Road looking in through the school entrance gates in the listed wall with the proposed building behind
Fig. 6.7 Indicative rendering from the north west on Charlton Park Road looking at the entrance drive to Charlton Park on the right, then the electricity substation enclosure and the listed wall with the proposed building behind.
6.2.3 Impact on Charlton Village Conservation Area
The buildings to be demolished have no heritage value and do not make a positive contribution to the wider Charlton Village Conservation Area. Their loss would not cause harm to the conservation area. The new building, taller than the portacabin and single storey 1960s school buildings, would be visible from the conservation area. From outside the conservation area on Charlton Park Road the new building would be noticeable as the indicative renderings above show, but in comparison to the present Portacabin building and general jumble of structures, this single structure could be regarded as an improvement in appearance. The view from the north east, and when the entrance gates are open, would reveal the ground floor of similar brickwork to the 1967 school building with the lower entrance part in front of the gateway. From the park in the conservation area adjoining the Site’s eastern boundary it would be possible to see the new building through the fence only when using the
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 27 drive into the park. The noticeable difference would be the reduced size of the building and the reduction of clutter along the boundary. From further west the horse manège and sports centre intervene. Views from Charlton House and from the gardens east of the listed building to the west of the Site, will not be affected. The landscaped garden proposed on the south half will improve views in to the south west corner of the site from the park.
The removal of a series of visually uncoordinated buildings from this part of the conservation area and their replacement but a carefully designed two storey building of a smaller footprint can be regarded as a minor heritage benefit, as this would reduce the amount of built form within the historic park and remove visually unsympathetic structures from in the conservation area. 6.2.4 Impact on the listed boundary wall
Part of the listed wall stands close to the buildings to be demolished and the new two storey building to be erected has a north elevation slightly closer. The nearest building to it is the portacabin, in front of which school minibuses are parked and beside which is a shipping container which at present detracts from its setting. Removing the portacabin and other detritus and their replacement by a purposely designed building with matching brick and subtly coloured render could thus be said to enhance the character and appearance of the listed wall to a small degree. especially given its smaller footprint on the north half of the demolition site.
6.2.5 Impact on Charlton House
The Site does not make any noticeable contribution to the setting of the Grade I listed Charlton House: it represents modern development within the park boundary although it is essentially not visible from the house itself. Even in the 18th century the site was separate from the park as a service yard for the park. The removal of the poor-quality modern buildings from part of the Site and its replacement by a two storey building of a much smaller footprint would have no appreciable effect upon the setting, and thus the significance, of Charlton House. Nevertheless it can be considered to form a minor heritage benefit as part of the wider historic park around the house would be given an improved character. 6.2.6 Overall Assessment
The proposed demolition of the unsightly later 1970s 2-storey prefabricated rear blocks, the portacabin, and various containers and skips, and the construction of a much smaller two storey building on half the footpint, and re-landscaping of the south west part of the Site, would not cause any harm to the identified heritage assets. At the same time the removal of a visually unsympathetic and ad hoc collection of buildings and their replacement with a two storey but half-the-footprint carefully designed building within the former historic parkland would have a minor positive impact on these assets – albeit this would be an effect of minimal magnitude.
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7.0 Policy Assessment and Conclusions
This Heritage Statement has been produced by Built Heritage Consultancy to accompany a planning application to demolish some of the existing buildings and replace them with a smaller plan 2 storey building on the west part of the Charlton Park Academy site. The Heritage Statement has assessed the significance of any on-site heritage assets and any in the surrounding area that might potentially be affected by the scheme proposals. It has also assessed the potential heritage impacts on the identified heritage assets in light of the proposed scheme.
Assessment Against Legislation and Policy
Legislation
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
Section 66 contains a statutory duty which states:
“In considering whether to grant planning permission … for development which affects a listed building or its setting, the local planning authority or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.”
Having assessed the scheme as a whole, we have concluded in our report that the scheme would not have a negative effect upon the significance of the ‘Wall to Charlton Park’ listed building (as an element of its setting), nor on the settings of other listed buildings. It would therefore comply with Section 66 of the Act.
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act (1990) sets out regarding applications for planning permission within conservation areas that:
“s.72(1) In the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in a conservation area, of any powers under any of the provisions mentioned in subsection (2), special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area.”
We have concluded in our report that the scheme would enhance the character and appearance of the Charlton Village Conservation Area. The scheme would therefore comply with Section 72 of the Act.
National Policy – NPPF and NPPG
In line with Paragraph 189 of the NPPF, the significance of the potentially affected heritage assets has been outlined in Section 5 of this Heritage Statement, including any contribution made to that significance by their settings. In Section 6 we have also undertaken an assessment of the potential heritage impacts of the proposed scheme.
The proposed demolition and construction of a smaller new building is considered to have at worst no negative effect upon the identified heritage assets, and indeed is regarded as delivering minor heritage benefits. Accordingly, Paragraphs 195, 196, 197 etc. of the NPPF in relation to harm to heritage assets do not apply.
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We have reviewed Paragraph 201 of the NPPF which states:
“Not all elements of a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site will necessarily contribute to its significance. Loss of a building (or other element) which makes a positive contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site should be treated either as substantial harm under paragraph 195 or less than substantial harm under paragraph 196, as appropriate, taking into account the relative significance of the element affected and its contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site as a whole.”
We have assessed in Section 5 the contribution made by the existing buildings to the character and appearance of the conservation area and the impact of the proposed new building. As discussed, the existing buildings are of little heritage value, and do not contribute positively towards the character and appearance of the conservation area, while the proposed new building would potentially make a positive contribution. Accordingly, Paragraph 201 of the NPPF does not therefore apply.
We would also note Paragraph 200 of the NPPF, which states:
“Local planning authorities should look for opportunities for new development within Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites, and within the setting of heritage assets, to enhance or better reveal their significance. Proposals that preserve those elements of the setting that make a positive contribution to the asset (or which better reveal its significance) should be treated favourably.”
The Site represents an ideal opportunity as envisaged under Paragraph 200, and the proposals would achieve this.
We have shown in our detailed Assessment of Heritage Impacts (Section 6) how the scheme would not cause negative heritage impacts and therefore satisfies Paragraph 190 of the NPPF. Section 6 also satisfies the requirements of Paragraph 194 of the NPPF.
Local Policy
The local policies of the Royal Borough of Greenwich are given weight according to their degree of consistency with the NPPF (2018) as noted in paragraph 213 of the latter. In view of that, and for the reasons given above, the proposals are considered to comply with Greenwich Core Strategy 2014-2025 (2014) and the relevant policies DH1 Design, DH3 Heritage Assets, DH(g) Local Views, DH(h) Conservation Areas, DH(i) Statutory Listed Buildings, DH(j) Locally Listed Buildings, DH(l) Areas of Special Character.
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Appendices: Appendix 1: Bibliography
Cherry, Bridget and Pevsner, Nikolaus (1983). The Buildings of England – London 2: South.
Franklin, G Harwood, E Taylor, S Whitfield, M (2012) England’s Schools 1962-88: A Thematic Study. English Heritage RESEARCH REPORT SERIES no. 33-2012
Jenkinson, Sally (1984). The Village: Old Charlton.
RCHME (1930). An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of London, Vol. 5.
Royal Borough of Greenwich (2010). Charlton Park Management Plan.
Spurgeon, Darrell (1991). Discover Greenwich and Charlton.
British History Online, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/
Charlton Parks Reminiscence Project, http://www.charltonparks.co.uk/
Greenwich Heritage Centre, http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/heritagecentre/
Old Maps Online, http://www.oldmapsonline.org/
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Appendices: Appendix 2: Historic England List Entries
Walls of Charlton Park
1. 4412 CHARLTON PARK ROAD SE7, Walls of Charlton Park Map: TQ 4177 29/199 TQ 4277 30/199. Date first listed: 08-Jun-1973. Grade II
2. C17 red brick walls, once surrounding the lands of Charlton House. Some parts retain original sloped coping. Additional wall has been added in places to heighten; other parts have been lowered and coping rebuilt. In some places the wall has been repaired or completely rebuilt; but much the greater part is original C17 wall.
Listing NGR: TQ4188777863 List Entry Number: 1079065 Legacy System number: 200250
Charlton House
1. 4412 CHARLTON ROAD SE7 (East Side) Charlton House Map: TQ 4177 29/G17 Date First listed: 19.10.51. Grade I
2. (The house is at present a Community Centre). Large Jacobean mansion, built 1612 for Sir Adam Newton. Additions 1659 for Sir William Ducie. The mansion - 3 storeys with H-shaped plan. Red brick with stone dressings and stone bands at floor levels and mullion windows. West front has pierced stone parapet. In the centre is a brick and stone projection containing richly ornamented porch and 2 bay windows above with 2-window links to projecting wings of 3 storey bays. East front similar in outline to West and less ornamental in character. North and South elevations 3 storeys 7 windows with square central towers of 5 storeys surmounted by stone corbelled cornice and ogee slated roof, South tower with clock. Pierced stone terrace wall to west front and returns. Octagonal brick chimney stacks in groups of 3 and 5 with moulded caps and bases. Internally, the mansion has contemporary staircases, panelled rooms, ornamental ceilings, chimney pieces etc.
Listing NGR: TQ4155577714 List Entry Number: 1218593 Legacy System number: 200251
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Appendices: Appendix 3: Legislation, Policy and Guidance
Legislation
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
Listed Buildings
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 provides that listed building consent is required for; “(s.7) … any works for the demolition of a listed building or for its alteration or extension in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest ….”
In determining such applications the following duty is placed upon the decision maker: “Section 16(2) In considering whether to grant listed building consent for any works the local planning authority, or as the case may be, the Secretary of State shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.”
Section 66 contains a similar duty, which states: “In considering whether to grant planning permission … for development which affects a listed building or its setting, the local planning authority or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State shall have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.”
Case Law
Recent case law has added clarification to the interpretation of Section 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Section 66 states that special regard must be given by the authority in the exercise of planning functions to the desirability of preserving or enhancing Listed Buildings and their setting.
Barnwell Manor Wind Energy Limited (2014)
A particularly appropriate example of upholding a S66 is in the case of West Coast Energy’s proposal for five wind turbines to be installed within the setting of the Grade I listed Barnwell Manor, Northamptonshire. The National Trust advocated that the proposals would have an adverse impact upon the heritage asset’s setting and, reinforced by local opposition, the proposal was rejected by East Northamptonshire District Council in 2010.
The developers won an appeal for four turbines, however, this was overturned at the High Court who said the decision was legally flawed. A subsequent Appeal to overturn the High Court ruling in was also dismissed in February 2014.
Lord Justice Sullivan held that, in enacting Section 66(1) of the Listed Buildings Act 1990, Parliament intended that the desirability of preserving the settings of listed buildings should not simply be given careful consideration by the decision-maker for the purpose of deciding whether there would be some harm. It should be given ‘considerable importance and weight’ when the decision-maker carried out the balancing exercise. It confirmed that ‘preserving’ meant doing ‘no harm’. But Lord Justice Sullivan said that this created a ‘strong presumption against the grant of planning permission’. It is that ‘strong presumption’ which made Barnwell stand out from earlier decisions.
The judgment found that the Inspector considering the appeal had not given special regard to the desirability of preserving the setting and had moved too swiftly to the balancing exercise under the NPPF.
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Mordue (2015)
In Mordue v Secretary of state for communities and local government [2015], the claimant argued that the inspector had failed to apply the duty imposed by s.66 by neglecting to give “considerable importance and weight” to the acknowledged impact of a wind turbine on the setting of listed buildings.
The court allowed the claimant’s application. The inspector had referred to the impact on listed buildings but, applying the NPPF guidance, concluded that heritage issues were outweighed by the environmental benefits. However, there was no indication of what weight the inspector had given in each case or cumulatively.
The judge felt bound to follow the judgment in East Northamptonshire v Secretary of state for communities and local government [2014], which placed the onus of proof on the secretary of state to demonstrate that considerable importance and weight had been given to the impact on listed buildings, rather than on the claimant to establish that the decision was legally flawed. In Mordue, therefore, applying the NPPF alone was not sufficient, because it did not demonstrate that the required weight had in fact been given.
Notably, it was held that paragraph 134 (now Paragraph 196 in the Revised 2018 NPPF), read together with 132 and 133 of the Framework (now Paragraphs 193-195 of the Revised 2018 NPPF), lays an approach which corresponds with the duty in section 66(1) and a decision maker who works through those paragraphs in accordance with their terms, will have complied with the section 66(1) duty.
Forge Field (2014)
Despite the decision in Barnwell Manor, the LPAs in the Forge Field and South Lakeland cases (decided in June and November 2014 respectively) fell into the same trap of carrying out a balancing exercise in accordance with Paragraph 134 of the NPPF (now Paragraph 196 in the Revised 2018 NPPF), after concluding the relevant proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to designated heritage assets, without demonstrably giving “considerable importance and weight” to the desirability of preserving those heritage assets. In both cases, the High Court quashed the grant of planning permission. However, it is clear from the Babergh case (decided in October 2014) that provided the decision-maker demonstrably has regard to the statutory duty in section 66(1) and/or section 72(1) of the Act when carrying out the balancing exercise pursuant to Paragraph 134 of the NPPF (now Paragraph 196 as above), the Courts are unlikely to interfere with their decision unless it is so unreasonable that no reasonable person could have made it.
Conservation Areas
The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act (1990) sets out regarding applications for planning permission within conservation areas that:
“s.72(1) In the exercise, with respect to any buildings or other land in a conservation area, of any powers under any of the provisions mentioned in subsection (2), special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area.” National Policy
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (Revised 2018)
The Government’s guidance in relation to conserving and enhancing the historic environment is set out in Chapter 16 of the Framework (Paragraphs 184-202). Prior to Section 16 there are also some relevant paragraphs to heritage assets that will be provided below:
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“79. Planning policies and decisions should avoid the development of isolated homes in the countryside unless one or more of the following circumstances apply: ... b) the development would represent the optimal viable use of a heritage asset or would be appropriate enabling development to secure the future of heritage assets; c) the development would re-use redundant or disused buildings and enhance its immediate setting; ....”
“118. Planning policies and decisions should:
...c) give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements for homes and other identified needs, and support appropriate opportunities to remediate despoiled, degraded, derelict, contaminated or unstable land; d) promote and support the development of under-utilised land and buildings, especially if this would help to meet identified needs for housing where land supply is constrained and available sites could be used more effectively (for example converting space above shops, and building on or above service yards, car parks, lock-ups and railway infrastructure) ….”
“127. Planning policies and decisions should ensure that developments:
...c) are sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting, while not preventing or discouraging appropriate innovation or change (such as increased densities)….”
145. A local planning authority should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in the Green Belt. Exceptions to this are:
...c) the extension or alteration of a building provided that it does not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building; d) the replacement of a building, provided the new building is in the same use and not materially larger than the one it replaces….”
Section 16, Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment, contains for the following key paragraphs:
“189. In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance. As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes, or has the potential to include, heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation.
190. Local planning authorities should identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal (including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset) taking account of the available evidence and any necessary expertise. They should take this into account when considering the impact of a proposal on a heritage asset, to avoid or minimise any conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the proposal.
191. Where there is evidence of deliberate neglect of, or damage to, a heritage asset, the deteriorated
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192. In determining applications, local planning authorities should take account of: a) the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation; b) the positive contribution that conservation of heritage assets can make to sustainable communities including their economic vitality; and c) the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness.
193. When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation (and the more important the asset, the greater the weight should be). This is irrespective of whether any potential harm amounts to substantial harm, total loss or less than substantial harm to its significance.
194. Any harm to, or loss of, the significance of a designated heritage asset (from its alteration or destruction, or from development within its setting), should require clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of: a) grade II listed buildings, or grade II registered parks or gardens, should be exceptional; b) assets of the highest significance, notably scheduled monuments, protected wreck sites, registered battlefields, grade I and II* listed buildings, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional.
195. Where a proposed development will lead to substantial harm to (or total loss of significance of) a designated heritage asset, local planning authorities should refuse consent, unless it can be demonstrated that the substantial harm or total loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, or all of the following apply: a) the nature of the heritage asset prevents all reasonable uses of the site; and b) no viable use of the heritage asset itself can be found in the medium term through appropriate marketing that will enable its conservation; and c) conservation by grant-funding or some form of not for profit, charitable or public ownership is demonstrably not possible; and d) the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing the site back into use.
196. Where a development proposal will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal including, where appropriate, securing its optimum viable use.
197. The effect of an application on the significance of a non-designated heritage asset should be taken into account in determining the application. In weighing applications that directly or indirectly affect non-designated heritage assets, a balanced judgement will be required having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset.
198. Local planning authorities should not permit the loss of the whole or part of a heritage asset without taking all reasonable steps to ensure the new development will proceed after the loss has occurred.
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199. Local planning authorities should require developers to record and advance understanding of the significance of any heritage assets to be lost (wholly or in part) in a manner proportionate to their importance and the impact, and to make this evidence (and any archive generated) publicly accessible. However, the ability to record evidence of our past should not be a factor in deciding whether such loss should be permitted.
200. Local planning authorities should look for opportunities for new development within Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites, and within the setting of heritage assets, to enhance or better reveal their significance. Proposals that preserve those elements of the setting that make a positive contribution to the asset (or which better reveal its significance) should be treated favourably.
201. Not all elements of a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site will necessarily contribute to its significance. Loss of a building (or other element) which makes a positive contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site should be treated either as substantial harm under paragraph 195 or less than substantial harm under paragraph 196, as appropriate, taking into account the relative significance of the element affected and its contribution to the significance of the Conservation Area or World Heritage Site as a whole.
202. Local planning authorities should assess whether the benefits of a proposal for enabling development, which would otherwise conflict with planning policies but which would secure the future conservation of a heritage asset, outweigh the disbenefits of departing from those policies.”
Annex 2: Glossary (Part)
“Heritage asset: A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).”
Local and Regional Policy
London Plan (As Amended)
Policy 7.8 (Heritage assets and archaeology) states that:
“Strategic
A London’s heritage assets and historic environment, including listed buildings, registered historic parks and gardens and other natural and historic landscapes, conservation areas, World Heritage Sites, registered battlefields, scheduled monuments, archaeological remains and memorials should be identified, so that the desirability of sustaining and enhancing their significance and of utilising their positive role in place shaping can be taken into account.
B Development should incorporate measures that identify, record, interpret, protect and, where appropriate, present the site’s archaeology.
Planning decisions
C Development should identify, value, conserve, restore, re-use and incorporate heritage assets, where appropriate.
D Development affecting heritage assets and their settings should conserve their significance, by being sympathetic to their form, scale, materials and architectural detail.
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E New development should make provision for the protection of archaeological resources, landscapes and significant memorials. The physical assets should, where possible, be made available to the public on-site. Where the archaeological asset or memorial cannot be preserved or managed on-site, provision must be made for the investigation, understanding, recording, dissemination and archiving of that asset. LDF preparation
F Boroughs should, in LDF policies, seek to maintain and enhance the contribution of built, landscaped and buried heritage to London’s environmental quality, cultural identity and economy as part of managing London’s ability to accommodate change and regeneration.
G Boroughs, in consultation with English Heritage, Natural England and other relevant statutory organisations, should include appropriate policies in their LDFs for identifying, protecting, enhancing and improving access to the historic environment and heritage assets and their settings where appropriate, and to archaeological assets, memorials and historic and natural landscape character within their area.”
The Greenwich Plan Core Strategy 2014-2028 (2014)
Policy DH1 Design
All developments are required to be of a high quality of design and to demonstrate that they positively contribute to the improvement of both the built and natural environments. To achieve a high quality of design, all developments are expected to: i. provide a positive relationship between the proposed and existing urban context taking account of: topography, landscape setting, ridges and natural features; existing townscapes, local landmarks, views and skylines; the architecture of surrounding buildings; the need to retain trees in line with Policy OS(f) and Policy OS(g); the quality and nature of materials, both traditional and modern; established layout and spatial character; the scale, height, bulk and massing of the adjacent townscape; architectural, historical and archaeological features and their settings; the effective use of land; the potential for a mix of uses; patterns of activity, movement and circulation particularly for pedestrians and cyclists; the cultural diversity of the area; and acceptable noise insulation and attenuation;
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 38 ii. promote local distinctiveness by providing a site-specific design solution; iii. demonstrate that the development contributes to a safe and secure environment for users and the public (See Policy CH1); iv. achieve accessible and inclusive environments for all, including disabled people; v. create attractive, manageable well-functioning spaces within the site; vi. maximise energy conservation, through effective layout, orientation, use of appropriate materials, detailing and landscape design (also see Policy E1); vii. benefit Royal Greenwich by helping mitigate and adapt to climate change; viii. enhance biodiversity consistent with the Greenwich Biodiversity Action Plan; ix. incorporate living roofs and/or walls in line with Policy E(f); x. demonstrate on-site waste management including evidence of waste reduction, use of recycled materials and dedicated recyclable waste storage space; xi. Demonstrate water efficiency and demand management measures; xii. wherever possible, ensure building materials are responsibly sourced and minimise environmental impact; xiii. demonstrate measures that reduce surface water flood risk and landscape the environment in a way that provides for permeable surfaces; xiv. meet the requirements of Policy H5 for residential schemes; xv. integrate with existing path and circulation networks and patterns of activity particularly for pedestrians and cyclists; and xvi. for non-residential buildings in major developments, achieve a BREEAM rating of 'Excellent.'
Policy DH3 Heritage Assets
The Royal Borough will protect and enhance the heritage assets and settings of Royal Greenwich, including the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the 20 Conservation Areas, applying a presumption in favour of the preservation of statutory listed buildings and their settings, giving substantial weight to protecting and conserving locally listed buildings, protecting the three registered parks and gardens, as well as Royal Greenwich's archaeological remains and areas of special character.
Policy DH(h) Conservation Areas
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 39 i) Character and Setting
Planning permission will only be granted for proposals which pay special attention to preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the Conservation Area. The local scale, the established pattern of development and landscape, building form and materials will all be taken into account. Development on sites in the vicinity of a Conservation Area and which would have a visual effect on its character or appearance, should respect the setting of that area. ii) Article 4 Directions
Where the character or appearance of a Conservation Area is threatened by inappropriate development, the Royal Borough will seek to control these through the use of Article 4 Directions. iii) Protection of Buildings
Demolition of buildings and structures that positively contribute to the character or appearance of a Conservation Area will be resisted. Conservation Area consent for the demolition of buildings will be given only when planning permission has been granted for redevelopment that complies with the character and setting requirements of this policy. When demolition is permitted, it will be subject to the building remaining until a contract for redevelopment is awarded and the timescale for implementation is agreed.
Policy DH(i) Statutory Listed Buildings i) Protection of Listed Buildings
There will be a presumption in favour of the preservation of listed buildings. Listed building consent will only be granted for demolition in exceptional circumstances, and will be assessed against the following criteria:
1. The condition of the building and the cost of repairs relative to its importance.
2. The adequacy of efforts made to return the building to use.
3. The merits of alternative proposals for the site. ii) External or Internal Alterations
Proposals for external or internal alterations or additions to Listed Buildings should respect the integrity of the buildings and harmonise with their special architectural or historical character. Where consent is required for internal alterations, features of interest should be respected and left in-situ wherever possible. iii) Changes of Use
Proposals for changes of use of Listed Buildings will only be granted planning permission if it is no longer in its original or other established historic use and the new use is beneficial to the building and is compatible with its character and features of historic interest. Such a change of use should not conflict with other policies in the Core Strategy.
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 40 iv) Setting and Proportion
Proposals for development which would detract from the setting and proportions of a Listed Building or group will be resisted. Policy DH(j) Locally Listed Buildings
In considering proposals affecting buildings on the Local List of Buildings of Architectural or Historic Interest, substantial weight will be given to protecting and conserving the particular characteristics that account for their designation. Consequently, proposals for the demolition or unsympathetic alteration of locally listed buildings will be strongly discouraged.
Policy DH(l) Areas of Special Character
Within Areas of Special Character defined on the Proposals Map, special consideration will be given to the safeguarding, restoration and enhancement of character, scale and quality of open spaces and associated buildings. Skylines and distant views both to and from the Areas of Special Character will be protected.
Policy DH(m) Archaeology
The Royal Borough will expect applicants to properly assess and plan for the impact of proposed developments on archaeological remains where they fall within ‘Areas of High Archaeological Potential (AHAPs)’ as shown on Figure 5. In certain instances preliminary archaeological site investigations may be required before proposals are considered.
The Royal Borough will seek to secure the co-operation of developers in the excavation, recording and publication of archaeological finds before development takes place by use of planning conditions/legal agreements as appropriate.
At identified sites of known archaeological remains of national importance, including scheduled monuments, there will be a presumption in favour of the physical preservation of the remains in situ and to allow for public access and display and to preserve their settings. For sites of lesser importance the Royal Borough will seek to preserve the remains in situ, but where this is not feasible the remains should either be investigated, excavated and removed from the site, or investigated, excavated and recorded before destruction. Appropriate conditions/legal agreements may be used to ensure this is satisfied.
Policy OS1 Open Space
Safeguard, enhance and improve access to existing public and private open space, including Metropolitan Open Land, Green Belt, Green Chain and Community Open Space, as defined on the policies map, and other small open spaces such as Local Green Spaces.
Guidance
National Planning Practice Guidance (2014)
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 41
The NPPG provides added to clarity to the interpretation of the NPPF.
Principles for the Selection of Listed Buildings (2010)
The Principles for Selection of Listed Buildings sets out that a building has to be of special architectural or historic interest to be listed compiled under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Buildings on the list are graded to reflect their relative architectural and historic interest. Buildings of historic interest may justify a higher grading than would otherwise be appropriate:
• Grade I buildings are of exceptional interest.
• Grade II** buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest;
• Grade II buildings are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.
Selection Guides for different building types published by Historic England should be used to assess the listability of the building. The Selection Guides provide detailed technical information about each building type, and demonstrate what features are considered significant and likely to make a building of special architectural or historic interest when assessing buildings of a particular type from different periods, regions, or styles. It is recognised that some buildings are unique or will fall into more than one building type. Where a building is a composite of different types, then any relevant criteria from the Selection Guides applies. The general principles outlined below take precedence over the Selection Guides, which are published as supplementary information.
Statutory Criteria
• “Architectural Interest. To be of special architectural interest a building must be of importance in its architectural design, decoration or craftsmanship; special interest may also apply to nationally important examples of particular building types and techniques (e.g. buildings displaying technological innovation or virtuosity) and significant plan forms;
• Historic Interest. To be of special historic interest a building must illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural, or military history and/or have close historical associations with nationally important people. There should normally be some quality of interest in the physical fabric of the building itself to justify the statutory protection afforded by listing.”
Group Value – “When making a listing decision, the Secretary of State may take into account the extent to which the exterior contributes to the architectural or historic interest of any group of buildings of which it forms part. This is generally known as group value. The Secretary of State will take this into account particularly where buildings comprise an important architectural or historic unity or a fine example of planning (e.g. squares, terraces or model villages) or where there is a historical functional relationship between a group of buildings. If a building is designated because of its group value, protection applies to the whole of the property, not just the exterior.
When considering whether a building is of special architectural or historic interest the Secretary of State may take into account the desirability of preserving, on the grounds of its architectural or historic interest, any feature of the building containing a man-made object or structure fixed to the building or forming part of the land and comprised within the curtilage of the building. The desirability of preserving such a feature is a factor which would increase the likelihood of the building being listed. However, in the absence of any other aspects of special architectural or historic interest, such features will justify the listing of the building only if they are of themselves of sufficient interest to render the building of special interest. The provision can be used for a variety of features; examples could include a finely panelled sixteenth century room, a fireplace and over - mantel that has been introduced from another building, or an elaborate plaster ceiling. This provision cannot be used to preserve in situ
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 42 anything that is not a fixture, such as furniture or paintings.”
General Principles
Age and Rarity: “The older a building is, and the fewer the surviving examples of its kind, the more likely it is to have special interest. The following chronology is meant as a guide to assessment; the dates are indications of likely periods of interest and are not absolute. The relevance of age and rarity will vary according to the particular type of building because for some types, dates other than those outlined below are of significance. However, the general principles used are that:
• before 1700, all buildings that contain a significant proportion of their original fabric are listed;
• from 1700 to 1840, most buildings are listed;
• after 1840, because of the greatly increased number of buildings erected and the much larger numbers that have survived, progressively greater selection is necessary;
• particularly careful selection is required for buildings from the period after 1945;
• buildings of less than 30 years old are normally listed only if they are of outstanding quality and under threat.”
Aesthetic Merits: “The appearance of a building – both its intrinsic architectural merit and any group value – is a key consideration in judging listing proposals, but the special interest of a building will not always be reflected in obvious external visual quality. Buildings that are important for reasons of technological innovation, or as illustrating particular aspects of social or economic history, may have little external visual quality.”
Selectivity: “Where a building qualifies for listing primarily on the strength of its special architectural interest, the fact that there are other buildings of similar quality elsewhere is not likely to be a major consideration. However, a building may be listed primarily because it represents a particular historical type in order to ensure that examples of such a type are preserved. Listing in these circumstances is largely a comparative exercise and needs to be selective where a substantial number of buildings of a similar type and quality survive. In such cases, the Secretary of State’s policy is to list only the most representative or most significant examples of the type.”
National Interest: “The emphasis in these criteria is to establish consistency of selection to ensure that not only are all buildings of strong intrinsic architectural interest included on the list, but also the most significant or distinctive regional buildings that together make a major contribution to the national historic stock. For instance, the best examples of local vernacular buildings will normally be listed because together they illustrate the importance of distinctive local and regional traditions. Similarly, for example, some buildings will be listed because they represent a nationally important but localised industry, such as shoemaking in Northamptonshire or cotton production in Lancashire.”
State of Repair: “The state of repair of a building is not a relevant consideration when deciding whether a building meets the test of special interest. The Secretary of State will list a building which has been assessed as meeting the statutory criteria, irrespective of its state of repair.”
Historic England, Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 2: Managing Significance in Decision-Taking in the Historic Environment (2015)
This Historic England guidance note clarifies how to assess heritage asset significance, suggested archival sources of information, it recommends best practice recording procedures and discussed unauthorised works. It is a useful resource to aid with the interpretation of the NPPF.
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Cumulative Impact
Paragraph 28 states: “The cumulative impact of incremental small-scale changes may have as great an effect on the significance of a heritage asset as a larger scale change. Where the significance of a heritage asset has been compromised in the past by unsympathetic development to the asset itself or its setting, consideration still needs to be given to whether additional change will further detract from, or can enhance, the significance of the asset in order to accord with NPPF policies. Negative change could include severing the last link to part of the history of an asset or between the asset and its original setting. Conversely, positive change could include the restoration of a building’s plan form or an original designed landscape.”
Design and local distinctiveness
Paragraph 53 states: “Both the NPPF (section 7) and PPG (section ID26) contain detail on why good design is important and how it can be achieved. In terms of the historic environment, some or all of the following factors may influence what will make the scale, height, massing, alignment, materials and proposed use of new development successful in its context:
• The history of the place;
• The relationship of the proposal to its specific site;
• The significance of nearby assets and the contribution of their setting, recognising that this is a dynamic concept;
• The general character and distinctiveness of the area in its widest sense, including the general character of local buildings, spaces, public realm and the landscape, the grain of the surroundings, which includes, for example the street pattern and plot size;
• The size and density of the proposal related to that of the existing and neighbouring uses;
• Landmarks and other built or landscape features which are key to a sense of place;
• The diversity or uniformity in style, construction, materials, colour, detailing, decoration and period of existing buildings and spaces;
• The topography;
• Views into, through and from the site and its surroundings;
• Landscape design;
• The current and historic uses in the area and the urban grain;
• The quality of the materials.”
Historic England, Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3: The Setting of Heritage Assets, 2017 GPA Note 3 (Second Edition)
The stated purpose of GP3 is to set “…out guidance, against the background of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the related guidance given in the Planning Practice Guide (PPG), on managing change within the settings of heritage assets, including archaeological remains and historic buildings, sites, areas, and landscapes.
It gives general advice on understanding setting, and how it may contribute to the significance of heritage assets and allow that significance to be appreciated, as well as advice on how views contribute
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 44 to setting. The suggested staged approach to taking decisions on setting can also be used to assess the contribution of views to the significance of heritage assets. The guidance has been written for local planning authorities and those proposing change to heritage assets.
It replaces The Setting of Heritage Assets: Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3 – 1st edition, 2015 and Seeing the History in the View: A Method for assessing Heritage Significance within Views (English Heritage, 2011).”
A number of the key worthy sections are provided below for ease of reference.
“NPPF Glossary: Setting of a heritage asset
The surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral (NPPF, Annex 2: Glossary).”
“PPG: What is the setting of a heritage asset and how should it be taken into account?
The “setting of a heritage asset” is defined in the Glossary of the National Planning Policy Framework.
A thorough assessment of the impact on setting needs to take into account, and be proportionate to, the significance of the heritage asset under consideration and the degree to which proposed changes enhance or detract from that significance and the ability to appreciate it.
Setting is the surroundings in which an asset is experienced, and may therefore be more extensive than its curtilage. All heritage assets have a setting, irrespective of the form in which they survive and whether they are designated or not.
The extent and importance of setting is often expressed by reference to visual considerations. Although views of or from an asset will play an important part, the way in which we experience an asset in its setting is also influenced by other environmental factors such as noise, dust and vibration from other land uses in the vicinity, and by our understanding of the historic relationship between places. For example, buildings that are in close proximity but are not visible from each other may have a historic or aesthetic connection that amplifies the experience of the significance of each.
The contribution that setting makes to the significance of the heritage asset does not depend on there being public rights or an ability to access or experience that setting. This will vary over time and according to circumstance.
When assessing any application for development which may affect the setting of a heritage asset, local planning authorities may need to consider the implications of cumulative change. They may also need to consider the fact that developments which materially detract from the asset’s significance may also damage its economic viability now, or in the future, thereby threatening its on-going conservation (PPG, paragraph: 013, reference ID: 18a-013-20140306).”
Views and setting
“The contribution of setting to the significance of a heritage asset is often expressed by reference to views, a purely visual impression of an asset or place which can be static or dynamic, long, short or of lateral spread, and include a variety of views of, from, across, or including that asset.
Views which contribute more to understanding the significance of a heritage asset include:
• those where the composition within the view was a fundamental aspect of the design or function of
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 45 the heritage asset;
• those where town- or village-scape reveals views with unplanned or unintended beauty;
• those with historical associations, including viewing points and the topography of battlefields;
• those with cultural associations, including landscapes known historically for their picturesque and landscape beauty, those which became subjects for paintings of the English landscape tradition, and those views which have otherwise become historically cherished and protected;
• those where relationships between the asset and other heritage assets or natural features or phenomena such as solar or lunar events are particularly relevant.”
Setting and Views – A Staged Approach to Proportionate Decision-Taking
“…The contribution made by their setting to their significance also varies. Although many settings may be enhanced by development, not all settings have the same capacity to accommodate change without harm to the significance of the heritage asset or the ability to appreciate it. This capacity may vary between designated assets of the same grade or of the same type or according to the nature of the change. It can also depend on the location of the asset: an elevated or overlooked location; a riverbank, coastal or island location; or a location within an extensive tract of flat land may increase the sensitivity of the setting (i.e. the capacity of the setting to accommodate change without harm to the heritage asset’s significance) or of views of the asset. This requires the implications of development affecting the setting of heritage assets to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Conserving or enhancing heritage assets by taking their settings into account need not prevent change; indeed change may be positive, for instance where the setting has been compromised by poor development. Many places coincide with the setting of a heritage asset and are subject to some degree of change over time. NPPF policies, together with the guidance on their implementation in the Planning Policy Guidance (PPG), provide the framework for the consideration of change affecting the setting of undesignated and designated heritage assets as part of the decision-taking process (NPPF, paragraphs 131-135 and 137) [since amended in the Revised 2018 NPPF to 192-197 and 200 respectively]
Amongst the Government’s planning policies for the historic environment is that conservation decisions are based on a proportionate assessment of the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected by a proposal, including by development affecting the setting of a heritage asset. Historic England recommends the following broad approach to assessment, undertaken as a series of steps that apply proportionately to the complexity of the case, from straightforward to complex:
Step 1: Identify which heritage assets and their settings are affected
Step 2: Assess the degree to which these settings make a contribution to the significance of the heritage asset(s) or allow significance to be appreciated
Step 3: Assess the effects of the proposed development, whether beneficial or harmful, on that significance or on the ability to appreciate it
Step 4: Explore ways to maximise enhancement and avoid or minimise harm
Step 5: Make and document the decision and monitor outcomes.”
Historic England: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management; Historic England Advice Note 1 (2016)
AN1 provides guidance to LPAs on the management of Conservation Areas. It outlines best practice for
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 46 their designation and for the production of conservation area character appraisals. The latter should be academically rigorous to allow the special interest of the conservation area in question to clearly intelligible to the reader and therefore be used as a guide to how sensitive to change relative parts of a conservation area are.
Historic England Advice Note 2: Making Changes to Heritage Assets (2016)
The stated purpose of AN2 is to illustrate: “…the application of the policies set out in the NPPF in determining applications for planning permission and listed building consent, as well as other non- planning heritage consents, including scheduled monument consent. It provides general advice according to different categories of intervention in heritage assets, including repair, restoration, addition and alteration, as well as on works for research alone, based on the following types of heritage asset: buildings and other structures; standing remains including earthworks; buried remains and marine sites; and larger heritage assets including conservation areas, landscapes, including parks and gardens, and World Heritage Sites. It will be useful to owners, developers, local planning authorities and others in considering works to heritage assets.”
English Heritage: Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance – For Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment (2008)
Paragraph 31 states: “Many heritage values are recognised by the statutory designation and regulation of significant places, where a particular value, such as ‘architectural or historic interest’ or ‘scientific interest’, is judged to be ‘special’, that is above a defined threshold of importance. Designation necessarily requires the assessment of the importance of specific heritage values of a place; but decisions about its day-to-day management should take account of all the values that contribute to its significance. Moreover, the significance of a place should influence decisions about its future, whether or not it is has statutory designation.”
The values recommended to assesses in the guidance are provided below:
Evidential value
“Evidential value derives from the potential of a place to yield evidence about past human activity.”
Historical value
“Historical value derives from the ways in which past people, events and aspects of life can be connected through a place to the present. It tends to be illustrative or associative.”
“Illustrative value has the power to aid interpretation of the past through making connections with, and providing insights into, past communities and their activities through shared experience of a place. The illustrative value of places tends to be greater if they incorporate the first, or only surviving, example of an innovation of consequence, whether related to design, technology or social organisation. The concept is similarly applicable to the natural heritage values of a place, for example geological strata visible in an exposure, the survival of veteran trees, or the observable interdependence of species in a particular habitat. Illustrative value is often described in relation to the subject illustrated, for example, a structural system or a machine might be said to have ‘technological value’.”
“Association with a notable family, person, event, or movement gives historical value a particular resonance. Being at the place where something momentous happened can increase and intensify understanding through linking historical accounts of events with the place where they happened – provided, of course, that the place still retains some semblance of its appearance at the time. The way in which an individual built or furnished their house, or made a garden, often provides insight into their personality, or demonstrates their political or cultural affiliations. It can suggest aspects of their
Built Heritage Charlton Park Academy, Charlton – Heritage Statement Consultancy 47 character and motivation that extend, or even contradict, what they or others wrote, or are recorded as having said, at the time, and so also provide evidential value.”
Aesthetic value
“Aesthetic value derives from the ways in which people draw sensory and intellectual stimulation from a place.”
“Design value relates primarily to the aesthetic qualities generated by the conscious design of a building, structure or landscape as a whole. It embraces composition (form, proportions, massing, silhouette, views and vistas, circulation) and usually materials or planting, decoration or detailing, and craftsmanship. It may extend to an intellectual programme governing the design (for example, a building as an expression of the Holy Trinity), and the choice or influence of sources from which it was derived. It may be attributed to a known patron, architect, designer, gardener or craftsman (and so have associational value), or be a mature product of a vernacular tradition of building or land management. Strong indicators of importance are quality of design and execution, and innovation, particularly if influential.”
Communal value
“Communal value derives from the meanings of a place for the people who relate to it, or for whom it figures in their collective experience or memory. Communal values are closely bound up with historical (particularly associative) and aesthetic values, but tend to have additional and specific aspects.”
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